Lubricating pump assembly



Nov. 4, 1958 J. M. NORTH 2,858,964

L LUBRICATING PUMP ASSEMBLY Filed Aug. 22 1956 INVENTOR. e/asepk M Nor/ AT RNEK LUBRICATENG PUMP ASSEMBLY Joseph M. North, Arnold, Kans.

Appiication August 22, 1956, Serial No. 605,598

Claims. (Cl. 222-439) This invention relates to portable lubricating apparatus and refers more particularly to a power'operated lubricating pump assembly which is adapted to be fitted over a lubricant container and operable to move the lubricant from the container through the pump assembly to a lubricating gun or other discharge means at any desired predeterminable pressure.

This application is an improvement over my Patent No. 2,634,885 entitled Lubricating Apparatus, issued April 14, 1953.

In remote areas, especially on farms, there is no readily available source of air pressure. Therefore, how to grease or lubricate farm machinery is a very serious problem. Hand operated, commercially available grease guns are very laborious to operate. The present commercially available power operated greasing devices are expensive and generally do not have power units which cease operation when the gun is not actually being used. When such is the case, a considerable drain is placed on the battery or source of electrical energy employed for driving the motor. Additionally, such conventional power operated greasing devices have not heretofore solved the problem of continuously moving exceedingly viscous greases into the unit pump. Cavitying or hollowing out of the bottom of the grease supply in the container occurs and the remainder of the grease, not being actually under suction, does not feed into the pump. Still other objections are found in units employing mechanical pumps such as air locking in the lubricant flow lines which may require bleeding thereof to clear.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a portable, power driven, lubricating pump assembly for moving the lubricant from a container to a grease gun, means being provided in the pump assembly to turn off the power source for the pump when the gun is not discharging, thereby greatly conserving the energy employed in activating the power source.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lubricating pump assembly for mounting on the top of conventional grease containers wherein the weight of the power source, its drive connection to the pump assembly and the pump assembly are centrally positioned relative the lubricant container when in position thereon, thereby making the entire unit easy to transport, stable and efiicient in removing the greater quantity of grease from the container.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lubricating pump assembly including means for agitating the contents of the lubricant container whereby to provide constant and unbroken feed of the lubricant to the pump assembly, independently of the viscosity of the lubricant.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lubricant pump assembly including a pump of such construction as to obviate any possibility of air or vapor locking the lubricant flow lines.

d States Patent 0 Another object of the invention is'to provide a lubrieating pump assembly which is extremely rugged and simple, positive in operation and composed of a minimum number of operating parts.

Another object 'of the invention is'to provide a lubrieating pump assembly having simple, positive-acting means to break the power circuit to the pump when the pump pressure rises to a predetermined level.

Other and further objects of the invention will appear in the course of the following description thereof:

In the drawings, which form a part of the instant specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith, an embodiment of the invention is shown and, -in the various views, like numerals are employed to indicate like parts.

Fig. 1 is a sideview of thejinventivelubricant pump assembly positioned on a lubricant container, the container having been' sectioned to. show the construction of the pump assembly positioned therein;

Fig. 2 is a view takenalong thelines 22 of Fig. '1 in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a side view with parts in section of the pump assembly which is positioned at the lower end of the drive connection'from the motor.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic representation of the electrical and lubricant flow circuitsof the unit.

Referring to Fig. l, at 10 is shown a lubricant container of conventional type, preferably of 25 to pounds capacity. At -11 is shown the lubricant within the container. A six or twelve volt electric motor 12 is bolted or otherwise-attached'to the top cover 13 for the container. The motor '12 is centrally located with respect to the top cover .13 and the container10 to provide proper balance for'the entire lubricatingassembly. Top cover 13 is fixed to the top of the container by thumb screws 14. A pumpunit generally indicated at 15 is located within the container and operatively connected withthe motor :12by drive shaft or connection 16. The lower end of the motordrive shaft 16 is journaled in bearing 17 provided in base 18 of the pump; Thelower end ofshaft'16 hasthreaded orifice 16a therein to receive rightangled rod 16b which threads therein. Rotation of shaft 16 rotates stirring rod 16b. Supporting strap braces 19 for holding the: pump 15 .in proper relationwith respect to the motor 12 are placed on either side ofthe drive shaft'16. The lower ends of the braces 19 are bolted to'the base =18 as-shown at 20.

Pump housing15 iscarried by the-upper face of the base 18 andis formed with a horizontally extending'cylindrical bore 21 therein, in which a piston or plunger 22 is mounted for longitudinal reciprocatory 'motion. The plunger or piston 22 terminates at oneend in a head 23. Helical spring 24 surroundsthe piston '22 with one end bearing against the head 23 while the opposite end bears against the end of the pump housing 15. The housing 15 is provided with an inlet port 25 extending upwardly from the lower wall thereof and merging with the bore 21.

A filter-screen 26 surrounds the housing to prevent any.

foreignmatter from entering the cylinder, and the screen may be attached to the housing in any convenient manner. The end'of the bore 21 in the housing 15 opposite the piston cylinder is enlargedas at 27 to form a check valve seat. Ball 28 of the check valve. fits againstthe seat 27 and spring 29 backing ball 28 fits at its other end against the end of fitting 30 which threads into the threaded end of the housing. In order-toreciprocate the plunger 22-to admit lubricant into the cylinder through opening 25 for pumping therefrom, head 23 projects against the face of a cam 31 eccentrically mounted on the shaft 16. Spring 24 maintains the head 23 against the cam 31. As the cam 31 rotates, the plunger 22 reciprocates in opposite directions, thereby creating the necessary pump action to move the lubricant into the cylinder and out through the fitting 30.

Conduit 32 is attached to the free end of fitting 30. The opposite end of conduit 32 is attached by connection 32a to fourway coupling 33 which extends through opening 34 in top cover 13. Conduit 32 is connected to one orifice of the coupling 33, high pressure gauge 35 is connected to a second orifice, automatic electric shut off housing switch 36 is connected with the outlet diametrically opposed to the connection 32a and one end of the output conduit 37 is secured to the other orifice. The pressure operated switch may be set for any pressure desired from 500 to 7500 pounds, which, of course, covers the entire range of operation of the apparatus.

Referring now to electrical leads 38 and 39, the input end of lead 38 is attached to ground post 40 on the top cover 13, while the other lead 39 is attached to post 41a of solenoid switch 41 of suitable type. Solenoid switch 41 is secured by bolts 40 and 42 to the top cover 13. Post 41b of the solenoid 41 is connected to field post 43 of the motor 12 by lead 44 while lead 45 extends from the solenoid post 410 and is connected to one side of the hand switch 46 also fixed to the top cover by bolt 40. The other side of the switch 46 is connected to the pressure operated switch by lead 47.

As best seen in Fig. 4, the pressure operated switch comprises housing 36, having input orifice 48 at the lower end thereof, with shaft receiving orifice 49 at the upper portion thereof. Shaft 50 extends through the upper orifice 49 and has piston head 51 at the lower end thereof. Spring 52 encircles the shaft 50 and abuts the inner end of the housing at one end and the top of the piston head 51 at the other end. Insulator washer 52a encircles shaft 50 and is supported against the inside top of housing 36 by spring 52. The upper end of the shaft 50 is threaded to receive offset nut 53 having O-ring 54 encircling the base thereof. Electrical lead receiving nuts 55 and 56 are threaded onto the upper portion of the shaft 50 to receive the lead from the switch 46. Battery 57 (Fig. 4) powers motor 12.

The offset nut 53 may be adjusted as desired on the upper portion of the shaft 50 to regulate the required spring 52 tension to displace the offset nut 53 away from the housing 36. O-ring 54 serves to cushion the return of the offset nut to abut the housing. When the offset nut 53 is displaced away from the housing 36 by the action of sufficient pressure within the housing 36 below the piston 51, the circuit to the motor is broken. When the pressure in the flow line 32 is reduced so that the offset nut 53 reseats on the housing 36, the motor circuit is again made and the pump 15 is actuated to force more lubricant into the flow line 32.

In operation, assuming that the top cover 13 has been fixed to the top of the lubricant container by thumb screws 14, the power leads 38 and 39 are attached to a suitable power source such as a six or twelve volt battery 57, and the hand switch 46 is turned on. Since the pressure will not have been built up in the flow line 32, the offset nut 53 abuts housing 36 and the electrical circuit is completed. The motor 12 rotates, reciprocating the plunger 22 in the housing bore 21 to move lubricant into the cylinder and out past the check valve ball 28. Simultaneously, the rotation of the drive shaft 16 causes the rod member 16b to force its way through the lubricant and cause a constant feed thereof below the zone of rotation of the rotating member 16b, thus avoiding any cupping or cavitying of the lubricant in the container without feed thereof. Since the ball 28 of the check valve system seated at 27 is positioned immediately adjacent the end of the stroke of the plunger 22, there is no possibility of air-locking of the line 32 and no bleeding thereof will be required. If no pressure is released from the lubricating nozzle 37a, the pressure in the flow line 32, the fourway coupling 33 and the housing 36 will rise until the piston 51 is forced upwardly unseating the offset nut 53. When the latter occurs, the motor circuit is broken and the pump 15 and rotating member 16b stop action. When pressure is released through the nozzle 37a, once again the offset nut 53 seats, the circuit is made and the pump 15 and rotating member 16b begin action again. To shut off operation entirely, the hand switch 46 is turned to off and the power leads 38 and 39 may be disconnected from the battery.

It is evident that the top cover carries the entire operating pump assembly and may be displaced from container to container as the lubricant in each of them is used up. The pump assembly, in combination with the lubricant container, as shown, will effectively lubricate machinery in areas where a source of air pressure is not available. By virtue of the direct drive and the six or twelve volt motor, the unit may be employed in situations where volt current is not available and the pressure operated switch 36 will break the motor circuit as soon as the pressure in the conduit 32 rises to the desired level. It is evident that this arrangement prevents an excessive drain on the battery and also increases the life of the motor.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the method.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a lubricating pump assembly for use in combination with a lubricant container comprising a substantially horizontal top member for a lubricant container, a prime mover carried by said top member, a bearing block on the other side of said top member from the prime mover and spaced away therefrom, substantially vertical means cooperating between the top member and the bearing block to prevent displacement of the block relative thereto, a substantially vertical drive shaft connected at one end to the prime mover and the other end thereof being journaled in the bearing block, pump means secured to the bearing block and operable by rotation of said drive shaft, said pump means having an inlet port and an outlet port, said inlet port extending downwardly from the pump means, a discharge conduit connected at one end to said outlet port and having its other end outside of said container, the improvement which comprises means fixed to said shaft to rotate therewith extending below the bearing block and outwardly from the axis of said shaft to churn lubricant in a lubricant container upon which the top member is placed.

2. A lubricant pump assembly as in claim 1 wherein said bearing block is spaced from the top member a lesser distance than the distance to the bottom of the lubricant container when the top member is thereon whereby to give the rotating means room to rotate without contact with the bottom of the container.

3. Apparaus as in claim 1 wherein said bearing block is spaced from the top member a maximum distance whereby, when the top member is spaced on a lubricant container, the rotating means will be permitted to turn without contact with the bottom of the container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Mathewson Jan. 6, Mathewson July 7, Butler Aug. 2, Wilson June 6, North Apr. 14, 

